SmackDown: Randy Orton beats Sami Zayn in KOTR smi-final

Randy Orton beat Sami Zayn in the semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament to advance to the final, which will be held at Night of Champions next week. 

Randy Orton emerges victorious in King of the Ring semi-final

Sami Zayn and Randy Orton started off the match with a series of lock up and arm locks. The former soon got under The Viper’s skin with a series of chops. Orton, however, countered with a slam on the announce table, turning the tide in his favour. However, Sami refused to fade away and got a measure of revenge by slamming his foe on the table in a similar fashion. 

Randy Orton is going to the finals of the 2025 King of the Ring Tournament.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/uk71ZHEl5W

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) June 21, 2025

Orton too, kept coming back, highlighting the back and forth nature of the contest. Sami’s best chance at winning came when he nailed ‘The Apex Predator’ with a Blue Thunder Bomb. He, however, failed to get the pin. Orton eventually hit the Canadian star with the RKO to get the win.

Who will Randy Orton face in the King of the Ring final?

Randy Orton will now be taking on either Jey Uso or Cody Rhodes in the final of the King of the Ring tournament at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia next week. The second finalist will be determined on Raw next week when ‘The American Nightmare’ takes on ‘The Yeet Master’ in a semi-final contest. Randy Orton has a strong history with Cody Rhodes. He mentored the Rhodes scion during their time together in Legacy, a group that also included Ted Dibiase Jr.